The Lent: ‘Why is our fasting less important?’
Members of the Pakistani Christian community have complained that they are not given any leeway during the fasting season of Lent, that started on March 9 this year.
Naulakha Presbyterian Church pastor Reverend Dr Majid Abel said, “According to the law, all citizens have equal rights to practice their religion but the Christian community does not get any leave for Easter. The government makes no allowances for us during Lent and children still have to go to school and take exams, while official and school timings are relaxed during Ramazan.”
Dr Abel said that minority communities ought to be given the same right to practice and celebrate their religion properly. “There is no ease up in power cuts or timings during Lent and such allowances are considered the norm during Ramazan. Why is our fasting season not as important?” he said.
Safiah Arif, a housemaid, says “sometimes during prayer services there is load shedding at the church and the generator cannot be switched on as it causes distortion and the prayer is no longer audible. There is no load-shedding during Ramazan, Ashura or Eid.” Arif said “this is discriminatory practice. The government should allow us leave during our religious holidays.”
Several members of the Christian community observed that fewer people now fasted during Lent. A Catholic, Mrs Ruby Samson, said “Fasting is all about maintaining a personal connection with God. The Bible has nothing to say on the matter but it is part of the Lent Season.” “Fasting teaches us patience, modesty and self-control and I find it to be a form of training for how to spend the entire year.”
Protestant Mehini Ghose, who is a coordinator at Kinnaird College University for Women said, “The best part of fasting is that it is a private act. We don’t have to exhibit our piety or put it on display. The fast lasts for 24 hours but it is not obligatory.” “It is true that fewer people now observe Lent but that is a matter of choice. There are still many who continue to fast throughout the season,” she said.
Ms Anjum Bhatti, a teacher, said, “For me personally, Lent is a very spiritual time. The trend of fasting is changing though. I now travel a lot and don’t find it as easy to fast but I do it whenever I can.”
Asif Bhatti, a retired government servant said, “The Lent Season has changed now. People have become much more materialistic and they don’t take it as seriously as they used to in the 90s. Back then we used to boycott all meat and lavish foods during Lent. We saved up the money to give to the poor. Children were taught to keep money boxes to donate to charity. All that is gone now.”
Lent ends with Palm Sunday, on the Sunday before Easter to commemorate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem described in the Bible. This year Palm Sunday will fall on April 17 and Easter on April 24.
Fasting and giving
Christians fast during Lent every-year. The Lent Season lasts forty days before Easter excluding Sundays. The first day of Lent is a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday and fell on March 9 this year. Easter this year will be on April 24. The fast is not mandated by a commandment so it is not considered obligatory but a means to enhance one’s spiritual connection with God.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2011.
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